Screening for Depression, Mental Illness and Suicide Risk
More than one million teens in the United States suffer from depression, yet less than one-third of those teens receive help. For some, depression is so severe that it leads to suicide, the third leading cause of teenage death. Even in its less severe forms, teen depression is linked to poor academic achievement, absenteeism, strained social relationships, and substance abuse.
Screening for depression and other mental illnesses has been shown to be a safe and effective method of early identification of mental illness and youth suicide prevention. In addition, instituting systematic screening in a primary care practice using a standardized screening instrument has been shown to be well received by patients, parents and providers. Doctors, nurses and local mental health professionals in clinics, hospitals and primary care settings are recognizing the importance of addressing youth mental health issues and are working together to develop screening initiatives in their communities.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force published a statement in March,2009, calling for depression screening for teens in primary care settings and recommending that all teens ages 12-18 be routinely screened for depression by their primary care providers. Mental health screening is also endorsed by both the American Academy of Pediatrics, which recommends routine mental health checkups for all adolescents and the Society of Adolescent Medicine, which supports early identification of mental illness as a critical standard of care.
The TeenScreen National Center for Mental Health Checkups at Columbia University offers free tools and materials to healthcare, educational and community-based professionals to screen for depression and mental illness in adolescents.
Consequences of Untreated Depression and Mental Illness in Children and Adolescents Suicide
- Suicide is the third leading cause of death in youth aged 15 to 24. Approximately 90% of children and adolescents who commit suicide have a mental disorder.
- States spend nearly $1 billion annually on medical costs associated with completed suicides and suicide attempts by youth up to 20 years of age.
Higher Health Care Utilization
- When left untreated, youth mental illness is likely to persist and lead to school failure, limited or non-existent employment opportunities and poverty in adulthood.
School Failure
- Approximately 50% of students age 14 and older who suffer from mental illness drop out of high school; this is the highest dropout rate of any disability group.
Juvenile and Criminal Justice Involvement
- Many youth with unidentified and untreated mental illness also end up in jail and prisons. 65% of boys and 75% of girls in juvenile detention suffer from mental illness.
Long Term Disability
- Mental illness is the second leading cause of disability and premature mortality in the U.S.
- Mental illness costs the U.S. approximately $63 billion annually due to absenteeism and loss of productivity.
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